TOMMY X 2 GAGNE TO JOIN SMALL GROUP OF REPEAT `TOMMY JOHN' PATIENTS.Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer The medical procedure known as ``Tommy John Yet the Dodgers' Eric Gagne is close to going where few have gone before: trying to rebound after a second ``Tommy John surgery Tommy John surgery, known by doctors as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (or UCL), is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body (often from the forearm, hamstring, knee, or foot of the .'' Gagne, a Cy Young Award winner and major-league record-holder with 84 consecutive saves, is scheduled for surgery on his right elbow Friday. Dr. Frank Jobe, who three decades ago first performed the procedure of taking a ligament or tendon from one part of the body to replace a damaged ulnar collateral ligament Ulnar collateral ligament can refer to:
If all goes well, Gagne could return to the mound in about one year. ``I'd like to think it'd be like the first surgery,'' Jobe said by phone from New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . ``I think the second one probably represents either pitching too much or bad mechanics or bad (physical makeup) they're working with. It seems if they do proper rehab and get their core muscles - hips, arms and back - in proper condition, they become a better pitcher.'' The Dodgers' Darren Dreifort Brocail attended Lamar High School in Lamar, Colorado and was a good student and won All-State honors in football, underwent the procedure twice. All four are on major-league rosters, but only Brocail is currently pitching. Out of baseball for nearly three seasons from 2001 to '03, Brocail, 38, required a second surgery after injuring his right elbow rehabbing from the first procedure. The second surgery was more extensive, and his nerve was re-routed. He is 3-1 with a 4.66 ERA for Texas this season and still can hit 97 mph with his fastball, part of the reason he has deemed his comeback ``the immaculate recovery.'' Gagne doesn't figure he needs a miracle. He expects to be back by May. ``I'm a lot more confident,'' Gagne said. ``I know what I have to go through. It's just a matter of time.'' LANDMARK PROCEDURE Jobe has since 1974 performed the surgery on what he estimates is thousands of pitchers. He has performed a second procedure on the same pitcher only once - Dreifort had the surgery in 1995 and 2001. ``There haven't been that many that have needed two,'' Jobe said. Dreifort returned to the majors following the second procedure but currently is on the disabled list recovering from hip and knee surgeries. He is rehabilitating in Kansas and isn't expected to return to the Dodgers this season, the final year of his $55 million contract. Fox, 34, is on the 60-day disabled list with another elbow injury suffered April 6. Williamson, 29, is still rehabilitating from the second surgery. Brocail didn't have the luxury of youth Williamson and Gagne, also 29, have. Brocail was 36 when he had the second surgery. ``The rehab is tedious,'' Brocail said. ``I did one with Houston, then my own rehab. I rebounded better from my own rehab because I followed my own prescription for pain. I didn't hurry it along. I felt the way I rehabbed, it was better than the way I rehabbed it with the Houston team. ``I think doing it their way, I put a little more stress on the whole thing - on the arm, on my comeback time, on everything. When I had the second one, I was going to retire. I wasn't given much of a chance to come back.'' Jobe said 93 percent of patients go on to throw the same quality of pitches as before the procedure for at least one season after recovery. ``As far as I know, there's hundreds that have gone on to pitch 12-15 years,'' Jobe said. ``There are a lot of pitchers who have won more games since the surgery than they won before it.'' Matt Morris, John Smoltz John Andrew Smoltz (born May 15, 1967 in Warren, Michigan) is a Major League Baseball player currently playing with the Atlanta Braves. He is predominantly known as a starter and former Cy Young Award winner. , Kerry Wood Kerry Lee Wood (born June 16, 1977 in Irving, Texas) is an American baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he plays professional baseball for the Chicago Cubs. Wood became a high school phenom while attending Irving Mac Arthur High School in Irving, Texas, for his first , David Wells This article is about David Wells, American baseball player. For other uses, see David Wells (disambiguation). David Lee "Boomer" Wells (born May 20, 1963 in Torrance, California) is a Major League Baseball player who is currently a starting pitcher for the Los , Tom Gordon Thomas "Flash" Gordon (born November 18, 1967 in Sebring, Florida) is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. Previously, he played with the Kansas City Royals (1988–95), Boston Red Sox (1996–99), Chicago Cubs and Jon Lieber Jonathan Ray Lieber (born April 2, 1970 in Council Bluffs, Iowa) is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies (since 2005). Previously, Lieber played with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1994-98), Chicago Cubs (1999-2002) and New York Yankees are among pitchers who have had the surgery. Jobe performed surgery on Yankees closer Mariano Rivera Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969, in Panama City, Panama) is a Panamanian baseball player. He is a relief pitcher for Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. He throws and bats right-handed. in 1992, and the right-hander is considered one of the most dominant closers in the game. Orel Hershiser didn't have Tommy John surgery, but he did undergo reconstructive shoulder surgery performed by Jobe. Hershiser, the Rangers' pitching coach, has seen three of his players - Frank Francisco, Carlos Almazar and Ryan Bukvich - undergo Tommy John surgery this year. ``(Gagne) has made a huge impact on the game and in the community,'' Hershiser said. ``You would hope he'd come back. This is one of the reasons I think Jobe should be in the Hall of Fame. There should be a medical wing. Talented people are in the Hall of Fame, and talented people who keep talented people in the game should be in the Hall of Fame.'' FIRST PATIENT John underwent the procedure when he was a Dodger and didn't miss a start in the 14 seasons that followed. He won 164 games post-surgery and pitched until 1989. He went on to become a minor-league pitching coach and broadcaster, lives in North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. , and has consulted for the Yankees in spring training. He has another part-time job, fielding questions about the surgery - even 31 years later. ``To me, almost everybody that has it comes back and pitches effectively,'' John said. ``(Gagne) is one of the unlucky guys that needs it twice. What's the cause? I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. , but it's a shame. ``You hate to see good pitchers have to be out for a year and a half. But I'm sure if he works hard, he'll be back.'' John was Asked if he would have had the surgery twice if necessary. His reply: absolutely. ``And if I was injured a third time, I would've done it, because I wanted to play. When (Jobe) told me it would take a long time (rehabilitating), I said, `Fine, I don't care - a year, two years, three years, as long as I have to work.' ``I wanted to play baseball again.'' Jill Painter, (818) 713-3615 jill.painter(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 5 photos, 5 boxes Photo: (1 -- color) Texas reliever Doug Brocail shows the scar on his right elbow from the two Tommy John surgeries he underwent from 2001 to 2003. Edna T. Simpson/Daily News (2) Dodgers closer Eric Gagne says he expects to return by May of next season. July might be a more realistic target. Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images (3 -- color) DARREN DREIFORT (4 -- color) SCOTT WILLIAMSON (5 -- color) CHAD FOX Box: (1) SECOND TIME AROUND (2) DOUG BROCAIL Texas (3) DARREN DREIFORT#* Dodgers (4) SCOTT WILLIAMSON# Cubs (5) CHAD FOX# Cubs |
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